Reminiscing over the Decade’s Anime Music – 2008
OP/EDs
What can I say that I haven’t already said? Well, how about we start with a show I’ve already covered: kure-nai. I don’t exactly listen to Minami Kuribayashi a whole lot, but I did enjoy the anime stuff I’ve heard so far, especially Chrono Crusade’s “Tsubasa wa Pleasure Line.” In kurenai’s “Love Jump,” the energy really caught my ear the first time I heard it and it’s stuck with me for quite some time.
[spoiler show=”Kurenai OP”]
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I never ended up watching Birdy the Mighty, but I do remember being enthralled by the ED song, “Let’s Go Together” (I reviewed it on OSV) when it was featured during MALKeionbu’s summer week. The upbeat vocals really capture that sense of summer fun at the beach rather well and that one has continued to stay in my mind, popping up once in awhile when I need that boost of energy.
[spoiler show=”Birdy the Mighty ED”]
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Let’s get this straight: I will not accept anything less than a Madhouse-quality Gunslinger Girl, which is why the second season was such a massive disappointment. Disappointing because the manga was so good and the first season so awesome that when I watched Artland’s execution of the sequel, I felt disgusted since it was so soulless in comparison to the first season. Oh well, it did grace us with a stellar opening featuring the ethereal KOKIA and the ending with Lia and Aoi Tada. It’s worth noting that Aoi Tada has improved her singing a lot since the GSG2 days.
[spoiler show=”Gunslinger Girl 2 – OP”]
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[spoiler show=”Gunslinger Girl 2 – ED”]
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Last but not least, Michiko to Hatchin’s OP was really well-done, utilizing Latin jazz in a way that meshed well with the show’s setting and style. It’s probably up there as being one of the most enjoyable OP sequences to come out in 2008. Jazz that isn’t Baccano! or Bebop? Shocking.
[spoiler show=”Michiko to Hatchin – OP”]
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There. Just four shows highlighted in this section (6 if you count Spice and Wolf’s and True Tears’ OPs). That was relatively painless wasn’t it?
Afterthoughts:
I don’t think I really needed to talk about Ponyo’s soundtrack since we all know how solid and consistent Joe Hisaishi tends to be with his music, so raving about another solid Hisaishi work seems kind of pointless. Yes, I could say the same thing about Kanno too, but there’s something about her compositions that are worth noting. I’ll get back to you when I figure out what that is. I should also talk about Mouryo no Hako too, but maybe that’ll be for another day.
Shows that I haven’t watched, but should because they have excellent soundtracks? Well, Kaiba would definitely be one. A lot of people have praised the score for meshing well with the show’s existential feel, but since I haven’t really given it a shot, I can’t really comment much on it. Same for Casshern Sins’ darker tones. This soundtrack might be Kaoru Wada’s return to form, except I don’t know what his form is beyond doing decent work with Inu Yasha and memorable, but not-my-kinda thing work with Samurai 7.
Shows that I won’t take a look at, but want to give the soundtracks a shot also exist. TheBigN likes Kurogane no Linebarrel’s soundtrack a lot, but I’m not sure I can really stand the show from what I’ve heard about it. Vampire Knight also annoys me somewhat in the first episode, but the music is by Takefumi Haketa, and if there’s one thing I know about him, it’s that he’s pretty good at recognizing a catchy tune and milking it for all it’s worth. I should try Nabari no Ou though mostly because of the Michiru Ooshima obsession I’ve been experiencing as of late.
So yeah, once again, I’ll probably have missed some awesome works. One more year to go and I still have about 4 months to write it.
2008 may be not only one of my all time years for anime music, but for anime shows themselves.
Spice and Wolf if one of my absolute favorite shows of all time, and I still very regularly listen to the soundtrack (recently almost every night as I listen to it while reading the 2nd Spice and Wolf novel).
With other favorites like Code Geass, Kurenai (which, I absolutely adore the entire OST, not just the 2nd disc like you zzeroparticle), True Tears (I even like the ED and the more sad/mellow tracks), and let’s not forget Macross Frontier which is a classic and some my my favorite work by Kanno.
A great year for anime indeed.
Now I have the nagging feeling to go back and watch all the anime I’ve just listed… Think I’ll start with more Spice and Wolf 🙂
Just started Gunslinger Girl II a few days ago. That OP is incredible.
YouTube pulled my video with Aerobatic Funk. It was only the preview size version too, those jerks.
HOLY COW @ the Library Wars main theme. Why don’t I remember it used in the show?!?! Definitely the biggest discovery from this column for me.
On stuff which I think deserves a mention: DMC’s OP/ED for obvious reasons, Toradora ED2 for being a seiyuu collab which exceeds the sum of its parts and Shugo Chara ED3 for being really catchy pop and overall awesome synergy with the visuals in its animated sequence.
When anime scores are included into the mix, IMO the elephant in the room is the Xam’d OST (both the Ooshima score and the OP/EDs), though one can argue that the CDs were released in ’09 IIRC.
As usual, great selection though, I’ve always found it hard to find hidden gems which you haven’t uncovered. Back to that Library Wars theme now~
hmmm 2008. wasn’t that also Kimikiss? I really like some of the stuff on there; though i forget specific composers since it was a collab between three. Clannad AS music was eh….well there was the dango song…
You’re good. You’re very good. I like what you like –
@Karisu
Haha, I can identify with that. Whenever I grab a light novel or some manga that I pull out from my bookshelf, I’ll always be sure to have a soundtrack on hand to accompany the reading. I do that on a regular basis with ARIA and Hidamari Sketch at least. Spice and Wolf happens to be a very good choice for that because of how well the setting is conjured up.
And yeah, hmm, probably should have at least put up the Toradora OP and ED. Those were actually pretty decent. Not the Christmas song though since that was eghhh.
@Baka-Raptor
KOKIA has always been one of my favorite singers because she nails those ethereal tones beautifully. Just wish the OP had animation set to that though.
And Aerobatic Funk… nothing like training in the mountains while set to some awesome saxophones.
@Ottocycle
I’ve not touched the Shugo Chara stuff though I will admit the first OP to be pretty catchy… maybe for the wrong reasons? It was a pretty fun ride. DMC.. yeah, it’s satirical in its execution and though I wouldn’t call it one of my favorites, it is notable if nothing else. And Xam’d… somehow, I totally missed that when I looked up the list of shows. Maybe I’ll plead ignorance and say I cover only TV premieres :p
And glad you like that Library Wars theme!
@lelangir
Kimikiss I put in the 2007 box, and even then, I only covered the OP and ED because Wasurenaide is that awesome. But you already knew that, so
@ojisan
Glad you enjoyed the offerings here!
My eyes are all watery right now after listening to Library War’s OST. The memory keeps flooding back to me and I think I’ll just have to drop every anime I’m watching right now and rewatch that show.
🙂 finallly someone recognises Toushoukan Sensou’s main theme for what it is, just the right touch of interweaving piano and orchestra..actually Yuugo Kanno’s the only reason I took a gamble on Birdy (i mean, which sane mind would venture into an anime with that title?), and i’m still enjoying the OSTs from those 2 animes.
haha, you remembered Kurenai’s musical….i sooooo wanted the musical itself though, it was hilarious 😛
Taku Iwasaki’s good, especially his marrying of choral and orchestral, but have you heard Uragiri wa Boku no Namae o Shitteiru’s OST? If Kaida Shougo continues with what he did in Uraboku, he can easily rival Iwasaki-san. anyways, sorry about the rambling….back to..
KOKIA, the soothing songstress, i still think her best work was done in 2009, so can’t wait to hear your 2009 reminisces.
@mei
Are you referring at the ‘Guin Saga’ single?
Gosh, Kanon sings the Guin Saga OP, not Kokia. 🙂
@Canne
Not a bad show to rewatch. The themes are really well-laid out and the way they developed the romance was solid. A second season would be pretty lovely.
Glad the music was able to install that sense of nostalgia!
@mei
Yeah, that main theme has been on my mind for about 2-odd years now and definitely is gorgeous through and through. More people need to be exposed to it, no doubt about that. Also had no idea that Kanno composed for Birdy. Might have to give that a look-see to see if it measures up to what he did for Library Wars.
As for Kurenai’s musical scene… absolutely unforgettable! I still think it’s my favorite filler episode ever!
Thanks for alerting me to Uraboku. I have not listened to any of Shougo’s works, so not really sure what his sound is like, though from your thoughts, it sure does look like that he’s someone to look for from an up-and-coming standpoint. And yeah, KOKIA will definitely get the coverage in 2009.
@signorRossi
Yup, Kanon does indeed sing the ED… I don’t think there was a vocal OP for Guin Saga though. Will have to give the soundtrack a go because of Nobuo Uematsu since I still haven’t given it its due.
@signorRossi
I’ll admit the ED for Guin Saga was not bad, but i’m still more partial to KOKIA’s voice, she just never fails to evoke some kind of peacefulness everytime I hear her voice.
am going to wait for zzeroparticle’s 2009 recap before i go on and ramble more 🙂
Aww, you should give Code Geass a watch – good stuff. “Continued Story” is my favorite song out of the selection here.
Like others have said before me, I don’t remember Toshokan Sensou having that epic song. Now I’m tempted to go watch it.
@zzeroparticle – You are correct, there is no vocal opening for Guin Saga. I really like Uematsu’s soundtrack though, it is so very regal. The score itself is 2 discs and there is a third disc of bonus tracks that was released with the Blu-Ray.
You also didn’t mention a fun score by Kotaro Nakagawa from 2008 (not 100% on the year though) for a movie called Dramatic Baseball Movie. It steals heavily from James Horner’s The Rocketeer but is quite a nice score. I have not seen the movie itself though.
Oh my, seems I was very tired yesterday… 🙂
@mei
listened to Kokia’s ‘Real World’ album yesterday and especially the latter half had quite some good songs; I also liked Kokia’s ‘Red Garden’ songs, now if I would only understand a thing of what she sings… 😉
@zzeroparticle
If you’re gonna have a listen to the ‘Guin Saga’ OSTs don’t forget the bonus tracks Sirusjr mentioned, the Guin theme piano version on it is very good.
As for the Casshern music, I liked the ‘Casshern Sins Special Complete Album’ the most.
@mei
Haha, I’ll be sure to do so and look forward to your musings and ramblings! Especially since her soothing tones are really entrancing.
@Reltair
I’ve been trying to find the time to give it a go. I figured it’s one of those shows that needs to be experienced, not in the least because the music is solid.
And yeah, watching Toshokan Sensou can never be a bad thing!
@Sirusjr
I know that the guys at OSV managed to review it and I’m looking forward to the listening experience because of their positive outlook on the show. The show doesn’t seem to have gotten huge plaudits and that’s why talk of the soundtrack hasn’t been all too widespread (not that talk of anime soundtracks is ever all that widespread anyhow).
I’ll have to check it the Nakagawa score you mentioned then. Odd that ANN doesn’t have the composer credits though.
@signorRossi
KOKIA’s work on Red Garden is probably one of my favorite listenings ever. I’ll often skip some of the BGM just to head to that section to be drawn in by her vocals.
Will be sure to check out the bonus disc… could have sworn I saw it in a shop that’s close by where I live, so I’ll look into it.
I really love the Kurenai soundtrack. I’ve been thinking about why I like it so much recently coincidentally. I think I’ve settled on how it sounds to simple. It doesn’t employ an entire orchestra. Even the emotions it conveys are not complex. There’s a beauty in this simplicity.
You’ve missed Allison to Lillia. I haven’t watched it, but the soundtrack is definitely notable.
Oh, and something sort of unrelated. I’ve recently found Kaze no Shoujo Emily’s (2007) soundtrack to be quite lovely. It was apparently written by the man who writes the music for the Kirby games. You should take a look.
@Yu
It’s always worth asking people who like Muramatsu’s compositions for Kurenai how they feel about sketchbook, so obviously, your thoughts on that would definitely be awesome because right now, between the two, I’d choose sketchbook to fill up a slot in my car’s CD changer over Kurenai.
Talk about something I missed =P I even have it tagged too! I remember the instrumentals being pretty solid though my thoughts on the OP/ED vary with my mood that I can never nail down a consistent opinion. Some days, I’ll be drawn in by its wanderlust-y feel, other days, I’ll be annoyed.
Haha, that’s something to check out! Even if it’s Akira Miyagawa and not Hirokazu Ando since I’ve always loved the energy that the latter puts into his music. I don’t know whether the energy willl still be present for Kaze no Shoujo but I will give it a shot.
Let’s see.. why do I like Kurenai’s OST better than Sketchbook’s? Kurenai’s soundtrack has a feeling of sadness in certain pieces. When I sadness, I don’t mean outright mourning of the Akira Senju-esque kind, I mean the sadness of nostalgia. Part of why I’m so sensitive to this feeling may be because many of the pieces have been influenced with traditional Asian melodies. Sketchbook doesn’t give me that kind of feeling: it’s mostly just relaxation music.
That’s not to say I dislike Sketchbook’s OST by any means; I enjoy it very much. I have not watched either show (I don’t have the time to watch much anime), so I’m not biased. 😛
Random thought, it would have been awesome if Muramatsu was then K-On soundtrack to do. I feel like his style would fit the show.
And I took the time to upload my favorite track from Kaze no Shoujo Emily’s OST. If the quality’s a little bad, forgive me, it was my first time making a YouTube video ^^;
@Yu
Definitely see where you’re coming from there. I’d say you hit the nail pretty good on the melancholy bit, especially since those kind of sad, nostalgic melodies can be harder to pull off. Also, Muramatsu is fantastic at blending those jazz rhythms into Asian music though that’s all he seems able to do. Tempted to say he composes in one genre, but just does a really good job with it.
And if you ever find the time, those two shows are definitely worth a shot! That said, I can sympathize with where you’re at since I’m starting to be the same when it comes to video game music. I’ll still listen to the soundtracks, but I’ve yet to touch a game in quite some time.
Would Muramatsu have saved K-ON!? Now that’s an interesting question, but I do agree that his relaxing tones would be an excellent fit for that show.
Finally, thanks for sharing. If nothing else, that really kicked it up my priority list a few notches since I like the way it progresses. Always good to listen to those unnoticed gems, especially when they’re as good as that track. Now I’m really looking forward to giving it a go.
Kokia’s Gunslinger Girl OP is my favorite song ever (for now).
It’s kind of weird how that’s the only anime I saw from this whole list. I guess 2008 was my inactive year.
@Yi
Gotta love KOKIA’s voice through and through because of its lightness that still packs that sense of melancholy into the mix. 2008 does pack quite a few good shows though and I’d recommend checking titles like Spice and Wolf. Especially if you’re economics-oriented. :p
@TheBigN
Totally forgot about that post though I could have sworn that Kurogane no Linebarrel was one of those shows which had really solid music even if the content was a bit hit or miss. Overall, a solid year for sure even if I’d peg 2007 as being my favorite.
Well, you already pretty much know what my favorite tracks from the year that 2008 was. It definitely was one of my favorite years in terms of music coming out for sure.
I really do like Kurogane no Linebarrel’s soundtrack, but I think the OST was released in 2009 (at least the second CD), so I didn’t include it in the lineup. I think. 😛